Applicant Sourced Housing

Housing applicants - you will be invited to source a home of your choice, suited to your needs in an area of your choice within South Dublin County. The Council will lease it and pay the lease rent directly to the property owner, subject to the Council coming to an agreement with the property owner

Benefits to the Applicant

Applicants have the option to live in a home of their choice.

Greater security of tenure - It is the objective to secure properties for a lease term of up to 20 years and, in the event that the lease is not renewed, the Council will, where possible, secure accommodation as close as possible to your existing accommodation before the end of lease.

Applicants will be charged rent calculated in accordance with the council's differential rent scheme as may be changed from time to time.

The Frequently Asked Questions may provide you with more detail on the scheme. If you have any further questions you can contact us via email at as.homes@sdublincoco.ie or by calling us on 01-414 9000.

What is the period of the lease?

The term of lease will vary depending on the agreement between the Landlord and the Council. The duration varies from 4 to 20 Years.

What happens when the lease expires?

At the end of the lease term, if the Council is not in a position to renew the lease, the Council will, as soon as possible, provide alternative accommodation suitable to your needs, as close as possible to your then existing accommodation. This will ensure that you have absolute security of tenure within the Social Leasing regime.

Can I transfer?

Before you may be considered for transfer, tenants must be a resident in the leased premises for a minimum of 2 years and must have complied with the terms of the tenancy which includes having a-

Clear rent account

No record of anti-social behaviour and

The house/apartment must be in good order and be in a condition fit for re-letting.

Applications will be accepted for inclusion on the Transfer list on the basis of the following criteria only and will be considered in order of date of application:

Exceptional medical/compassionate grounds (Regard to be had for report from Council's Medical Advisors/Housing Welfare Officers as appropriate)

Anti-social behaviour where a Garda Superintendent has stated that there is a risk to personal safety

Older Persons (aged 55 or over) downsizing accommodation

Transfer applicants downsizing to the specific unit size of accommodation that matches their need.

Overcrowding

Tenants, other than those in categories (3) and (4) above, downsizing accommodation to make better use of housing stock.

Tenants of leased property may apply for transfer to Standard council accommodation to tenants who have been approved to purchase property. Please note that facilitating such applications will be dependent on adequate supply of suitable properties.

Please note standard council housing tenants who are deemed adequately accommodated in their current accommodation will not be allowed to transfer to leased accommodation.

If I accept the leased property, can I still be considered for social housing?

No, this is social housing. Once accommodated, you will be removed from the housing list.

What happens if I do not express an interest in this scheme or I express an interest and then refuse the selected property?

Please note that if you do not express an interest in availing of this scheme, it will not affect your housing application in any way and your application will be left on the Council's Housing List until a suitable Council house becomes available. However, if you express an interest in this scheme and at a later stage change your mind or refuse an offer of a selected property, this will be deemed to be a refusal.

Applicants, without satisfactory explanation, when you refuse two offers of housing your application will be suspended for twelve months. Your application will be re-activated after this period, however, this suspension period will not count as time on the housing list. You will not be on the Council's housing list during this period and will not have access to Choice Based Letting or eligible for any social housing support. Your entitlement to supplementary rent allowance may also be affected.

Can I purchase a leased property?

Under this scheme, you will not be able to buy the house/apartment that you source as it is privately owned.

However, any time spent living in this accommodation will be taken into account should you transfer to a standard council home which may become available to buy under any national sales scheme where time spent as a tenant entitles you to a discount off the market price.

What happens if I am currently renting accommodation and am in receipt of rent supplement?

If you are currently living in private rented accommodation, are in receipt of rent supplement and would like to remain in your current accommodation, you should give your landlord's details to the Social Housing Procurement Unit at 01-414 9000 and, subject to the agreement of your landlord and provided the accommodation is appropriate to your assessed housing needs, we will lease your current accommodation for your use.

Alternatively, should you wish to move, you may source alternative accommodation appropriate to your assessed housing needs and the Council will lease it for you subject to coming to an agreement with the landlord

If you avail of this scheme and are allocated a leased home, you will be considered to have been housed and your housing application will be closed.

Will I have to pay rent on the property?

You will be obliged to pay rent calculated in accordance with the Council's differential rent scheme which may vary from time to time. The Council's differential rent is currently 10% of the total net household income and is payable to South Dublin County Council or its management agent. When signing the tenancy agreement applicants will be informed of the amount of rent payable and most suitable method of payment.

What type of property can I seek for leasing?

The Council's Allocation Section will advise you of the appropriate accommodation following assessment of your housing needs. Size/type of property being deemed appropriate will have regard to family size and circumstances involved, for instance:

1 Bed -Single Person or Couples

2 Bed - Lone parent or couple with 1 or 2 children of the same gender regardless of age

3 Bed - Lone parent or couple with 2 children of opposite gender or 3 or 4 children

4 Bed - Lone parent or couple with 5 or more children

Applicants who are separated parents with partial custody/access arrangements may be eligible, upon production of relevant court orders, for accommodation with an additional bedroom.

Who do I contact to report house repairs?

When tenants are signing for the tenancy, they will be advised of the appropriate contact responsible for maintaining their property. Depending on the type of Lease arrangement, it will be either the owner of the property or a landlord's agent acting on behalf of the Council.

Can I alter, improve or change decoration, furnishings, fixtures or fittings in the property?

Tenants or anyone acting on their behalf, may not alter the property either externally or internally in any way, nor add to the property (and this includes wiring and cabling) nor erect any television or radio aerial or satellite dish, without the prior written consent of the landlord or agent.

In the case of lease arrangements where a property owner is the landlord, he/she shall be responsible for maintaining and replacing white goods and other fittings and furnishings should they break down because of normal wear and tear.

However, in the case of furniture/white goods in a leased property where the Council or its agent is your landlord, such items will become the responsibility of the tenant for repair, replacement, maintenance and disposal.

Can I go back on housing list if I surrender or leave my leased property?

An application for housing will be accepted only after a minimum of one year from the date you surrender or abandon the tenancy.

Do I have to make any additional payment directly to Landlord?

If you are living in leased accommodation, under no circumstances should any payments be made by a tenant to the Landlord. This is a breach of the terms of your tenancy agreement with the Council and is also a breach of the lease between the Council and the Landlord and will result in immediate proceedings by the Council to terminate the lease of the property.

Tenants will have no financial dealings with the landlord/property owner. The Council will pay the full lease rent to the landlord/property owner on your behalf while you will pay a rent contribution to the Council / Management Agent as detailed above.